Something in the Water
by ChelseaxQ
Summary: The Doctor and Rose land in 1962 Liverpool where they run into four unlikely lads. The Doctor must keep four very important people alive while preventing an evil alien plot from coming to pass.
1. TARDIS Landing

**Author's Note**

The Doctor and Rose land in 1962 Liverpool and run into four unlikely lads. **  
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**The Disclaimer: **I own nothing. All rights belong to Russell T. Davies and BBC. I make no money and intend no harm.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy it, any reviews or comments would be great.

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?" asked Rose eagerly, clinging onto the console of the T.A.R.D.I.S.<p>

"1926." replied the Doctor grinning happily at her.

"Yeah?" asked Rose. "And what happens then?"

The Doctor pushed a few buttons, turned a strange looking knob, and then turned to Rose, smiling. "The first ever public demonstration of a Television."

"You're joking!" she said incredulously. "You're taking me to see a telly?"

"Not just any telly." said the Doctor excitedly. "It was designed by John Logie Baird, good old Logie. Anyway, this is the first time he shows it to anyone, isn't that great?"

"Yeah sure." said Rose halfheartedly.

The T.A.R.D.I.S lurched violently, sending Rose tumbling to the floor. She looked up at the Doctor, wondering how he always managed keep his feet.

"We're here!" said the Doctor gleefully as he bounded to the door. Rose clambered to her feet and followed him. "January the 26th 1926." He threw the door of the T.A.R.D.I.S open and leapt out, with Rose following close behind him.

"Where's this supposed be?" asked Rose, confused.

"Eh, 22 Frith Street, London." the Doctor said looking around bemused.

"This doesn't look like London." said rose.

"And it doesn't look like 1926 either." said the Doctor. He strolled forward, stopping in front of a brick building. He took his glasses from his pocket and put them on. Leaning forward, he read a flier that had been posted on the side of the building. "You're right," he said. "This isn't London, it's Liverpool and it's 1962."

Suddenly four young men came bursting through the door of the building they were standing in front of. They had longish brown hair and four easily recognizable faces.

"Doctor! Look!" Rose almost shouted, pointing at the men.

The Doctor looked to where she was pointing and his jaw dropped. The group approached them and one man broke apart from the others and bowed comically to Rose, saying, "Lovely evening isn't it, Madam?"

Rose was speechless. The doctor looked more closely at the building the four had come out of. "Wait a minute." he said. "This is the Cavern Club and you're The Beatles."

"That's right mate, you've heard of us?" said the man who had bowed to Rose.

"A bit." said the Doctor grinning broadly.

"Right, well I'm John." he said smiling.

"I'm Paul." said the rather baby faced man on John's left. "Lovely to meet you."

"I'm George." said the handsome man of John's right.

"And I'm Ringo." said the shorter man standing next to George and smiling.

"Well, I'm the Doctor and this is Rose." said the Doctor pointing to Rose who was still too stunned to speak.

"Doctor Who?" asked Paul curiously.

"Just the Doctor." he replied promptly.

"The Doctor? What kind of a name is that?" asked Ringo.

"It's one of them modern names, innit George?" asked John.

"I don't know." replied George.

"Well it's certainly not Doctor _Robert_." said Rose smiling mischievously, having recovered her ability to speak.

"Doctor Robert?" asked John. "I like the sound of that."

The Doctor gave Rose a warning look before turning back to The Beatles. "Well, it's been lovely to meet you all, but we really should be going. Got an appointment to keep, don't we rose?" said the Doctor turning his gaze on her.

"What?" she exclaimed. "We can't just go. I mean, it's The Beatles, We've got to stay."

"Yeah Doctor, Stay with us please." said John batting his eyelashes and smiling at the Doctor.

The Doctor looked uncertainly at Rose, who was looking back at him, hopefully. "Oh, all right." he said. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Just then, there was a deafening explosion from somewhere nearby. The Doctor turned and saw a billowing cloud of thick black smoke filling the sky. "I think I spoke too soon." he said grimly.

"Oh my God Doctor, what was that?" asked Rose.

"I don't know." said the Doctor. "But we'd better find out."

"Yeah, let's go." said Paul excitedly.

"It looks it came from the docks, we'll take you there." said George.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." said the Doctor looking worried. "P'raps it's best if you lot stay here."

"Nonsense." said Ringo. "Besides how else would you get there?"

"Yeah!" they said in unison.

"It's too dangerous." the doctor said in vain for they had already started off towards the explosion.

"It'll be all right, Doctor." said Rose. "They're big boys."

"They're four of the most important boys in history, if anything happens to them…" The Doctor trailed off shuddering at the thought.

"Nothing will happen, you worry too much." said Rose following The Beatles. "You coming?" she shouted over her shoulder.

The Doctor reluctantly followed and in ten minutes, they had reached Salthouse Dock, the site of the explosion. They surveyed the destruction. Twisted hunks of blackened metal lay scattered around and several small fires burned on the wooden dock.

The Doctor approached the man nearest him, a sailor by the look of him. "What's happened here?" he asked.

"Dunno," he said looking serious. "The ship was docked, floating there right as rain, then next second, it's blown to hell."

"Is everyone alright?" asked the Doctor, concerned.

"A few bumps and bruises, nothing serious. Bloody lucky." said the sailor knowingly.

"Shall we have a look then, Doctor?" asked Rose.

"Oh, I think so." the Doctor replied smiling.

They walked to the edge of the dock and peered into the churning water. What was left of the ship had sunk and looked like a bad attempt at modern art. The hull was twisted and crushed; it looked pitiful lying there on the ocean floor.

"Look at them lurking over there." said George pointing at two men who stood talking by the dock. One man was speaking in earnest and looked scared, while the other appeared to be shouting angrily.

"Let's have a listen, then." said Paul.

They edged closer to where the men stood, until they were in earshot. "I'm telling you, sir, it's the water. Something funny's going on in the water, it's not right." said the frightened looking man.

"There is nothing wrong with the water!" the other man shouted. "If you go babbling about the water, they'll close the docks. And d'you know what'll happen then?"

"What?"

"I'll lose business, and I'm not going to let that happen. So if you want to keep your job, keep you damn mouth shut." Ha stalked away looking furious, leaving the other man standing there looking forlorn.

The Doctor approached him slowly. "Hello," he said grinning, "What's you name?"

"Sam." said the man looking suspiciously at the Doctor.

"Hello Sam, good to meet you, I'm the Doctor. That man wasn't very pleasant, who was he?"

"Brian O'Neil, he owns most of the docks 'round here, greedy bastard, he is." said Sam, a look of disgust on his face.

"Right Sam, now what's all this about something funny in the water?" asked the Doctor.

"I can't say anything. If O'Neil finds out I talked, I'll lose my job. I got kids to feed."

"Trust me, Sam, I just want to help. If something in the water's causing ships to blow up, then, we've got to stop it." said the Doctor forcefully.

"Oh alright." said Sam uneasily. "But not here. Meet me at Seamus' Pub in an hour, I'll tell you everything." and with that, Sam turned and hurried away.

"You really think something in the water's blowing ships up?" asked Rose. "D'you think it could be alien?"

"I don't know." said the Doctor, his brow furrowed. "We'll just have to wait and see."

"Yeah," said John who had been listening carefully to all that had been said. "And we're coming too."

"And we won't take no for an answer." said Paul.

The Doctor opened his mouth to protest but closed it again when he realized he was fighting a losing battle. Sighing, he followed the boys back to the club. All he had to do was make sure nothing happened to four of the most important people of the 20th century, easy right?


	2. Bigger on the Inside

**Author's Note**

The Doctor and his companions meet a source concerning the explosion and the Doctor does some investigating. **  
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**The Disclaimer: **I own nothing. All rights belong to Russell T. Davies and BBC. I make no money and intend no harm.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy it, any reviews or comments would be great.

* * *

><p>They arrived at the pub a little before eight. It was a small dingy room and the floor was sticky from the many spilled drinks. The occupants were a rough sort, sailors mostly. They drew unfriendly looks as they edged into the pub, looking for a Sam. Finally, they spotted him in a secluded corner of the pub. They quickly made their way over to him, trying not to attract any more unwanted attention. The six of them squeezed into the booth with Sam.<p>

"Alright, Sam." said the Doctor quietly. "What have you called us here for? What's going on with the water?"

"It started about a month ago." Sam almost whispered. They all drew closer, eagerly, not wanting to miss anything. "At first it was just the smell, god awful, it was, like something died."

"But I didn't smell anything." said Rose.

"It was the explosion. " said the Doctor. "All we could smell was fire and gas; it would've masked anything coming off the water."

Sam nodded quickly and continued nervously. "Anyway, a couple weeks ago I noticed something funny about the ships."

"What was it?" asked Paul, clearly enthralled by the story.

"All the hulls were rusted."

"That's not that unusual." said the Doctor. "Ships rust all the time."

"Yeah, but not these ones." said Sam. "O'Neil replaced every ship less than a year ago. They were brand new when they came to port, now they're rusted to hell. But, that aint it, cuz this aint normal rust."

"What d'you mean, not normal?" asked the Doctor, is interest piqued.

"Well, it aint the right color for starters. It's black and it's sort of eating away at the ships. Huge chunks of metal just dissolving in the water. It's like nothing I've ever seen." said Sam looking worried.

The Doctor sighed, "It sounds to me like you've got chemicals in your water."

"Chemicals!" John interjected loudly.

"Yeah, but not ordinary chemicals. There's no chemical on earth that could dissolve solid metal under water. Not in this time anyway."

"What, so you think it's aliens?" asked Rose.

"Aliens!" cried Ringo. "You must be mad."

"Course I am." said the Doctor winking. "But, it wouldn't be half as fun if I wasn't."

"He's got a point." said Rose.

"Now what we need is a sample of that water. If I can get it back to the T.A.R.D.I.S, I can scan it; find out what's in it."

"T.A.R.D.I.S? What's a T.A.R.D.I.S?" asked George.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Rose told him smiling.

"Well, this is where I leave you." said Sam. "I've told you all I know. I hope you can stop this, Doctor. Good luck to you." Sam rose nervously, took one last look at the Doctor and left the pub in a hurry.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked John excitedly. "Let's go get that water."

"Yeah," said Paul, just as excited. "It's late, no one will be there." They leapt from their seats, rushed out of the pub, ignoring the Doctor's pleas for them to stay behind.

Minutes later they were sneaking quietly over the wooden docks, trying to avoid the creaking of the aged wood. The Doctor stopped abruptly and turned to the others, putting a finger to his lips he motioned for them to wait behind.

He approached the edge of the dock and knelt beside it. Taking his sonic screwdriver from his inside pocket, he leaned over the edge of the dock. Hr held it a few inches from the water's calm surface. The sonic screwdriver glowed blue and emitted a high pitched buzzing as the Doctor scanned the water.

He sighed heavily as there was something very wrong with readings he had gotten. Wasting no more time, he pulled a small plastic bag from his pocket and leaning down once more, filled it with water. The Doctor stood and quickly rejoined his companions who were huddled together, eagerly awaiting his return.

"Alright then." he said grinning. "Back to the T.A.R.D.I.S."

The whole way back to the T.A.R.D.I.S the Doctor was bombarded with questions from the four young men. Ignoring them the Doctor stopped in front of the T.A.R.D.I.S and turned to the newcomers, trying to think of something to say to prepare them. Instead he just shrugged his shoulders, unlocked the T.A.R.D.I.S and stepped inside.

"Police Box?" asked Paul. "What's that then?"

"Eh, Doctor?" asked Ringo.

The Doctor poked his head out of the T.A.R.D.I.S. "Yeah." he said.

"I don't mean to make a fuss, but I don't think we'll all fit in there." said Ringo looking apprehensively at the small blue box.

"Sure you will, come on in." said the Doctor unable to keep the smile from his face at one of his favorite things.

The Beatles followed the doctor into the T.A.R.D.I.S and stopped abruptly once inside. They looked around as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"It's bigger on the inside." said John, still looking around open-mouthed..

"He loves this bit, don't you Doctor?" asked Rose playfully.

"Oh yes!" replied the Doctor happily.

"How is this possible?" asked Ringo.

"Anything's possible." said the Doctor, grinning at them.

"But what is it?" asked Paul, baffled.

"T.A.R.D.I.S, stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space." said the Doctor.

"You mean it's a space ship?" asked John excitedly.

"Well, sort of." the Doctor said. "Not just space though, time as well."

"Are you saying this is a time machine?" George asked him wide eyed.

"Course it is. How do you think we got here?"

"I don't know." said George bemused.

The four of them continued looking around with looks of confusion on their faces. The Doctor spoke, cutting off any more questions they may have had. "Anyway, to the point. What's going on with this water?"

The Doctor pulled a strange looking device from the console of the T.A.R.D.I.S. It looked like a cross between a radar gun and a hairdryer.

"What's that then?" asked Rose.

"This? Just a scanner. Should pick up on anything unusual though, something that's not supposed to be there." said the doctor quietly.

He pulled the plastic bag from his pocket and set it down on the console.

"Hold on a minute." said Rose. "If these chemicals, or whatever they are, are strong enough to eat through a great big ship, then how come that aren't eating through that bag. I mean it's only plastic."

"Good question, Rose." said the Doctor smiling at her. "But this is no ordinary plastic. This is the strongest plastic on the universe. We could hide under this stuff during a volcanic eruption and we would be safe as can be. I've done that before actually, it was very warm."

"Wow." said Rose sounding impressed.

"Oh yes." said the Doctor, now holding the scanner an inch or two away from the bag. The scanner emitted a slight buzzing sound, not unlike the sonic screwdriver. A minute later it beeped and the Doctor held it up reading from the little screen on it.

"Oh no." he said appalled.

"What?" asked Rose quickly.

"This is not good." said the Doctor seriously, looking around at them all. "This is extremely, very not good."


	3. Taken

**Author's Note **

The Doctor discovers the presence of an alien chemical in the water and does some investigating to find out where it came from and what it means for planet earth. While Rose runs into some trouble of her own.

**The Disclaimer: **I own nothing. All rights belong to Russell T. Davies and BBC. I make no money and intend no harm.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy it, any reviews or comments would be great.

* * *

><p>"Doctor?" asked Rose nervously. "What's not good? What is it? What's in the water?"<p>

"Sam was right." said the Doctor, running his hand through his hair. "It is chemicals. Sulfuric Acid, Thionyl Chloride, Naphthalene, Vanadium. I mean Vanadium, that's definitely not from earth, so what's it doing here?"

"Is that what's causing the black rust?" asked Rose.

"Oh yes, but not the explosion, no. Vanadium may be highly corrosive, but it's not known to make things spontaneously combust. No, there's something else going on here."

"This Vanadium stuff, what planet's it from, then?" asked Paul curiously.

"Well, it can be found on hundreds of planets, right across the galaxy said the Doctor. "I'll need more information to narrow it down."

"Yeah, but what has that ship got to do with anything?" asked Rose. "I mean it didn't just blow itself up, did it? And, if it wasn't those chemicals, then what was it?"

"I don't know." said the Doctor sighing heavily. "We'll have to find out though. Let's find out if there wasn't something going on with that ship besides the alien rust."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" asked John.

"Yeah, let's go!" said Ringo excitedly.

"I don't know about this." said the Doctor apprehensively. "I mean it might look a little funny if people see you lot poking round the sight of an explosion."

"That's easy." said George happily. "We won't let anybody see us."

"Well we can't go now it's too late, no one'll be there."

"What do we do?" asked Paul.

"Hold on tight" said the Doctor grinning. He ran round the console of the T.A.R.D.I.S hitting buttons and finally stopped in front of a large lever. With a wild laugh he threw the lever and the T.A.R.D.I.S gave an almighty lurch and started making a strange wheezing sound. The T.A.R.D.I.S lurched violently again throwing everyone to the ground except for the Doctor.

"What just happened?" asked Ringo bewildered.

"Why don't you go and see." said the Doctor.

Without waiting for a reply they filed out of the T.A.R.D.I.S, into the weak morning sunlight. Rose shot the Doctor a grin and followed the boys out; the Doctor sighed and stepped out of the T.A.R.D.I.S behind Rose.

"Look at that!" exclaimed Paul. "We traveled through time!"

"There will be plenty of time to be impressed later." said the Doctor. "Right now we've got work to do."

They set off once more for the docks, heading straight for the site of the explosion. There were fewer people about today. The excitement seemed to have worn off and they had gone back to their normal, boring lives. It would be harder to blend in, with less of a crowd and the Doctor knew they would have to tread carefully to avoid any unwanted attention.

"Alright." said the Doctor. "I think we'd better stick together. This could be dangerous and I don't want anyone wandering off on their own. Got it?"

"We'll be fine, don't worry about us." said John.

"Yeah it'll be quicker this way." added Paul quickly.

"Quicker what way? No, no, absolutely not. Have you not listened to anything I've just said?" spluttered the Doctor.

"Course we did." said George. "We're just taking your advice and er… tweaking it a bit."

"Tweaking it a bit! This is ridiculous." said the Doctor indignantly.

"Great, we knew you'd understand." said Ringo pleasantly.

"Yeah, we'll see you later." said John. He turned and strode in the opposite direction, the others right behind him. The Doctor turned to Rose, unable to speak. She patted his arm gently.

"Don't worry." she said. "I'll go with them, keep them out of trouble. Meanwhile, you go investigate, I'll see you later."

The Doctor watched as she turned and hurried to catch up with the others. "Be careful." he called to her retreating form. Rose merely turned and waved at him before disappearing amidst the four men.

The Doctor turned and looked around him for someone to talk to. He spotted an important looking man who was shouting orders at a group of workers. He seemed to be in charge of the clean up and therefore a good man to talk to. The Doctor casually approached him. "Hello," he said. "How's it going?"

"It's a nightmare." the man replied. "It'll take weeks to get this lot cleaned up and O'Neil's been firing anyone who so much as looks at him funny."

"Really?" said the Doctor. "That's awful. Anyway, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

"Questions, what kind of questions? Who are you?" asked the man.

The Doctor rummaged through his pockets and produced a small leather case. Flipping it open, he held in front of the man's face for him to read. "John Smith." he said. "I've come to investigate the cause of the explosion, you know, make sure it doesn't happen again. So what can you tell me about what happened here?"

"Well," said the man. "I dunno what happened. I mean she just blew up, bizarre really."

"Yea, very bizarre." relied the Doctor. "So you haven't noticed anything funny with the ship lately?"

No, no nothing serious. Well, I mean there was something, but it wasn't a big deal or anything."

"Every little thing is important." said the Doctor urgently. "Tell me, what happened?"

"Well, it was nothing really, a small oil leak."

"And when was this?" asked the Doctor.

"Day before the explosion, I think." he said. "I see what you're getting at, but it had nothing to do with the explosion. It was a tiny amount of oil and there's no way it could have ignited under water."

"Of course." said the Doctor looking troubled." That would be mad. Well, anyway, that's all. I'm just gonna go check something over there." The Doctor pointed vaguely over his shoulder. "Well, I'll see you later." he said, turning and hurrying in the direction Rose had gone.

"Hey, you lot, slow down would ya?" said Rose, catching up with the boys.

"What are you doing here, I thought you were going with the Doctor." said John.

"Nope," said Rose. "I'm supposed to keep you all out of trouble."

"Trouble? We won't get into any trouble, will we George?" said John.

"Nope, no trouble here." said George grinning mischievously.

"Alright, how about we split up; we'll cover more ground that way. John and George, go talk to those guys over there." said Rose pointing to a group of large men crowded around a small fenced off area. "And try to be subtle about it, alright?"

"Subtlety's our specialty." said John. He saluted her and wandered off in the general direction of the men, with George following a step behind him.

"Okay, you two." said Rose turning to Paul and Ringo. "I want you to have a look around, don't talk to anyone, just keep your eyes open. Anyone looks funny, or something doesn't look right, you let me know straight away. Got that?"

"Yes Ma'am." said Ringo and he and Paul ambled off in the opposite direction John and George had gone in.

Rose, however was drawn to a brick building. Curious as to what they might be hiding in it she casually approached the door and saw a small sign on it. The sign read Brian O'Neil, and Rose becoming even more curious about the big boss with a bad temper, tried the door. It was locked, but she had been expecting that.

She walked along the side of the building and slipped around the back, where she was happy to discover a window that most certainly would lead to O'Neil's office. She was relieved to find it unlocked and without much trouble, she managed to crawl through into a darkened room.

"I've been expecting you." came a voice from behind her. She turned quickly to see a man in a high backed chair. He leaned forward and clicked on a small lamp on the desk which he sat behind. "You know, I've always wanted to say that." he said, and as he leaned forward into the lamplight Rose recognized him as the man who had been arguing with Sam the day before.

"So, it seems you've been sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. We can't have that, now can we?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lied Rose.

"Now don't be modest. You've been all over the place asking questions, sneaking in here at night. You and those four idiots, I don't envy the company you keep. But, the other one, the Doctor, he seems different than the others. Tell me, Miss Tyler, what have you found out?"

H-How do you know my name?" asked Rose.

"A little bird told me, you may know him…Sam, his name was." said O'Neil, maliciously.

"If you hurt him, I swear…" Stammered Rose.

"Now, Now, what do you take me for, a monster? No, Sam is perfectly fine, let's just say he won't be talking to anyone else about my personal matters."

"What personal matters? What's going on with the water? What have you done with Sam?" Rose was shouting now, desperately trying to think of a way out. She looked longingly towards the open window, knowing she would never get there quick enough.

"As if I would tell you my plans. No matter though, you will know soon enough what my masters have planned for this pathetic little planet."

Now you listen to me." said Rose angrily. "Whatever you and your masters are planning, the Doctor will find out about it."

"By which time it will be too late to do anything about it." said O'Neil calmly.

"You're wrong, he'll stop you." said Rose.

"Yes, yes, very well, the knight in shining armor will save the day, how lovely. Now to business."

"What do you mean?" asked Rose, worriedly.

"Now, now, Miss Tyler, I can't just let you leave here, can I? You've seen too much. No, I think it best that you and dear Sam be reunited. Now if you'll excuse me." O'Neil opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a gas mask. Before Rose could even begin to wonder what was happening he had slipped it on and flicked a switch underneath his desk.

Thick, acrid gas poured from the vents filling the room in seconds. Rose tried to run, but she could hardly breathe through the gas. She collapsed to the floor and looked up at O'Neil who was now standing over her. He was laughing as he watched her trying to fight the gas. The Doctor's face crossed her mind as she succumbed to the gas, a small comfort before she fell unconscious.


	4. The Hatch

**Author's Note **

In his search for Rose, the Doctor discovers a mysterious hatch, which can only lead to trouble.

**The Disclaimer: **I own nothing. All rights belong to Russell T. Davies and BBC. I make no money and intend no harm.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy it, any reviews or comments would be great.

* * *

><p>The Doctor ran into Paul and Ringo after parting ways with the stranger. "What have you been up to? Seen anything odd?" he asked them.<p>

"Well, there was a man in a funny hat over there a while ago, but I think he was harmless." said Paul.

"Well, I've found something out." said the Doctor. "Let's find the others and get back to the T.A.R.D.I.S."

"I saw John and George over there a while ago, C'mon." said Ringo leading the way.

Several minutes later, they found John and George in conversation with two burly men. Seeing the Doctor, they broke away and joined him.

"Well that was pointless." said John. "They didn't know anything. What've you found out?"

"The Doctor's got something." said Paul.

"Really? What is it?" asked George.

"Hold on." said the Doctor. "Where's Rose?"

"I dunno, we split up a while ago, she went off somewhere." said John.

"We have to find her and get out of here, I don't think we should hang around here anymore." said the Doctor worriedly.

"Well, I think I saw her heading that way." said Ringo pointing towards O'Neil's office.

"Right." said the Doctor. "Let's go, be quiet and be careful."

The Doctor reached the door to O'Neil's office and pulled out his sonic screwdriver. He pointed it at the lock and a second later, he was standing in the darkened room. He turned around and spotted a light switch on the wall, he flipped it and the room was flooded with light.

"She's not here." said Paul.

"Maybe she left." suggested John.

The Doctor noticed the open window, with a growing feeling of unease, he took a step towards it and his foot collided with something on the floor. He bent down and picked it up, his worry increasing. It was Rose's phone. It probably fell out of her pocket when she was looking around and she just didn't notice, he told himself, but he didn't believe it.

"What's that?" asked Ringo pointing at the phone in his hand.

The Doctor's answer was cut short by a cold voice that suddenly filled the room. "She's gone, Doctor, and you will never see her again."

The Doctor searched for the source of the voice and found a small speaker on the desk. "Where is she?" he shouted at it. "What have you done with Rose?"

"She's alive, for the time being." said the voice. "My masters will take care of her. I don't like to get my hands dirty, you see."

"Who are you? What masters? What are you planning?"

"So many questions." the voice said with a bemused chuckle. "All in good time, Doctor. You will know everything quite soon I expect. Oh, and if you're planning to stop us and save the world and all that, I'd get moving. Time is short. Goodbye Doctor, until we meet again." And with a soft click, the voice was gone.

"Who was that?" asked George nervously.

"I'm guessing that was the elusive Mr. O'Neil." said the Doctor. "So, that's why he didn't want people finding out about the water. Let's get out of here." The Doctor looked longingly around the room once more before he turned to leave.

The others followed him back into the cold winter morning. The Doctor rounded on them, looking serious. "Listen"

"No, you listen." said John forcefully. "We should have been with her. We shouldn't have let her go off on her own like that. Now you protest all you want, but we're coming with you. We're going to get Rose back and stop O'Neil together, got that?"

The Doctor seemed lost for words as he looked from one determined face to the next. He didn't have time toy argue, he had to find Rose, and so, begrudgingly he nodded his acceptance.

"She can't have gone far. C'mon think. Have you seen any place they may be keeping her? Secret places, keep out signs, people lurking round, looking threatening.

"No, I haven't seen anything like that." said Ringo, dejectedly.

"Wait!" cried John, beaming. "Remember George, when we were talking to those men?"

"Of course!" said George, realization dawning on his face.

"Anyone care to share this epiphany with me?" asked the Doctor, slightly annoyed.

"Yeah, right, sorry." said John. "Well, there's a place just like you said. It looked like a hatch to a basement or something, and there's a fence around it and a no trespassing sign. The men we were talking to were all crowded around it; they looked really mean. I thought they were just on lunch, but maybe they were guarding it."

"That could be it." said the Doctor thoughtfully. "Whatever this thing is it's all to do with that water and if that hatch leads underground, it may be O'Neil's way of contacting his masters."

"And a good hiding place for Rose." added Paul happily.

"Yes, but how do we get in?" asked the Doctor, frustrated. "O'Neil will have told those men to look out for us. The second they spot us it's over."

"Maybe not," said John, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Sounds to me like we need a distraction. I think we can whip one of those up, can't we boys?

"Right you are, John." replied Paul.

"Alright Listen." said the Doctor. "I'm only agreeing to this because it's an emergency. You do what you have to, to draw them out, but be careful. This could be dangerous."

"We said we wanted to help, and we will." said Ringo.

"Okay, once those men are gone, I'll be clear to get in there but they'll be after you. I want you to take this…"

The Doctor produced a spare key to the T.A.R.D.I.S from one of his many pockets and handed it to John. "This is a key to the T.A.R.D.I.S, once you've distracted them, get into the T.A.R.D.I.S and lock yourselves in. Even if they follow you they won't be able to get inside."

John opened his mouth to protest but the Doctor cut him off. "Now don't argue with me, this is way too dangerous for you lot. I was mad to get you involved in the first place. You lock yourselves in and stay there, got it? Your part in this is over."

They nodded looking mutinous. "Just stay out of sight, we'll be able to give you a few minutes, but no more than that." said Paul.

"How will I know when it's time?" asked the Doctor.

"Oh, you'll know." replied John shortly.

The four of them hurried off, back towards the ships, while the Doctor settled down behind a pile of crates to wait. He wouldn't have long at all.

John led them out of the shipyard and into the street. "Where are we going, John?" asked George.

"He was right here earlier." said John to himself.

"Who was here? What's you plan?" asked Ringo.

"There he is!" shouted John excitedly, pointing at a little boy in the street.

The others looked at each other, confused before they followed John as he bounded over to the little boy.

"Hello," he said. "What's your name?"

"Jimmy." the boy replied.

"Well, Jimmy, I wondered if, maybe you'd like to help us cause a little trouble."

"Yeah!" said Jimmy with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"Right, have you got any fireworks, you know, the loud ones?" asked John.

"Course I do." replied Jimmy matter-of-factly.

"Give em here and you just sit back and watch the show, alright?"

"Cool!" said Jimmy handing John a large handful of firecrackers.

"How did you know he'd have those?" asked George amazed.

"All the kids have em these days, don't they?" replied John simply. "Now let's get going."

John led them back to the shipyard and behind a pile of broken crates, steel drums and other detritus. "Alright." he said. "I'll run out and set these off and then come back. Now those guards are thick enough to think it's gun shots and they'll come running. The Doctor will have enough time to get down that hatch and find Rose."

He crept out from the safety of his hiding place and straightened up looking innocently about him. He took a few steps forward and bent down as if to tie his shoe. He stood very quickly and hurried back to join the others. Seconds later the firecrackers went off, emitting a series of loud bangs.

They watched as panic broke out. People, already on edge from the explosion, were running around screaming about exploding ships and men with guns. They left their hiding spot unnoticed and stood hesitantly, not knowing what to do.

Paul broke the silence. "Are we really going back to the T.A.R.D.I.S?" he asked doubtfully.

"Not a chance." said John, and the others nodded their agreement.

"We can keep a lookout at the hatch, make sure those guys don't come back before the Doctor gets Rose out." suggested Ringo.

"Right then," said George. "What are we waiting for? Let's go."

With that, they left the panic behind them and made their way back towards the hatch.

The Doctor's legs were starting to cramp when he heard what sounded like gunshots. He saw the men guarding the hatch run off in the direction of the sound. Smiling he stood up and approached the fence surrounding the hatch. It was padlocked; he made short work of it with the sonic, and closed the gate behind him as he stepped towards the hatch. He knelt next to it saw that it too was padlocked. He opened it with ease thinking how lucky it was that is wasn't deadlock sealed.

He climbed down a ladder into a very dark chamber. He was looking around, waiting for his eyes to adjust, when he saw her.

"Rose!" he cried joyfully. At that exact moment, a large heavy object collided with the back of his head and he slumped to the floor, unconscious.


	5. Alons Y

**Author's Note **

The Doctor awakens and finds out exactly what he is up against.

**The Disclaimer: **I own nothing. All rights belong to Russell T. Davies and BBC. I make no money and intend no harm.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy it, any reviews or comments would be great.

* * *

><p>The Doctor awoke tied up and with a splitting headache. He opened his eyes, the chamber was now flooded with light. He looked beside him and saw Rose tied up and looking unhurt but scared.<p>

"Rose!" he said again. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"No I'm fine." said Rose. "Better than you anyway, how's your head?"

"I'll live, who was that anyway?" asked the Doctor.

"O'Neil." said Rose unhappily. "He must've known you'd find me so he waited down here for you. He got Sam too."

For the first time, the Doctor noticed that Sam was tied up on Rose's other side. "Sam!" he cried. "How are you?"

"I've been better." he said.

"So, O'Neil got you too, eh? I'm beginning to dislike that man." said the Doctor grumpily. "Well, this is quite a quandary we find ourselves in. Ooh, I like that, quite a quandary. Anyway, question is where are we? And how do we get out?"

"I don't know I was unconscious when he brought me here." said Rose.

"Me too." said Sam.

"If I'm not mistaken, and I'm usually not, we're under water." said the Doctor thoughtfully.

"But why would O'Neil want to build a room underwater?" asked Rose.

"Oh, I don't think it was O'Neil." said the Doctor. "No, I think it was his masters."

"Very good, Doctor." came an ethereal voice, seemingly from nowhere.

"We meet at last." said the Doctor. "Now, tell me, who are you? Cause you're not human."

"No we are not." said the voice. "We are the many. These are our waters, this planet will fall and the human race will perish."

"Now listen to me!" said the Doctor, his voice ringing through the chamber. "I can help you; I can find you a place to live where you won't have to hurt anyone."

"Why would we leave, it's so much better when they try to fight." said the voice, almost laughing.

"I am giving you one warning." said the Doctor. "Leave this world in peace."

"And what are you going to do if we don't, Doctor?" asked the voice mockingly.

"I'll have to stop you." the Doctor replied, a hard edge to his voice.

The voice laughed, "Oh really? You and what army?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but stopped when he heard voices.

"Someone's coming." said Rose.

The Doctor turned towards the hatch to see four familiar forms making their way down the ladder. They dropped off one by one and approached the Doctor, Rose and Sam grinning.

"Hello," said Paul cheerfully. "How've you been?"

"Not very good, as it turns out." said the Doctor. "I thought I told you to go back to the T.A.R.D.I.S."

"Did you really? I must have missed that bit." said George.

"Well, while you're here, do you mind getting us out of here?" asked the Doctor impatiently.

"Sure thing." said Ringo happily and they all moved towards the captives. They made short work of the bonds and in no time the three of them were free.

"Thanks for that." said Rose.

"Happy to be of service, madam." said John, bowing to her.

"We can save the chat for later, first we have to get out of here." said the Doctor. "Say how did you get in here without the guards seeing you?"

"Our distraction was very good." said Paul.

"Go ahead and run, Doctor. Save yourself while you can." said the voice maliciously.

"What was that?" asked George, alarmed.

"Nothing, it was nothing. Let's go." The Doctor walked back to the ladder. "Now, I'll go first to make sure the guards are still gone. I'll call down to let you know if it's safe to follow." he said.

"The Doctor grabbed hold of the metal rungs and quickly scaled the ladder. A few seconds later they heard the hatch open there was a pause, and then the Doctor called down to them. "It's alright, follow me."

One by one they clambered up the ladder and through the hatch. The Doctor put his finger to his lips and, motioned for them to follow him. They crept through the dockyard and managed to escape without being seen. They hurried back to the T.A.R.D.I.S. and were relieved to see it just as they had left it.

"Well, this is where I leave you." said Sam. "I think it's time for a change of scenery for me and the missus."

"That is not a bad idea." said the Doctor. "Thanks for all your help, Sam. It has really been a pleasure, stay safe, alright?"

"Yeah, alright." said Sam, shaking the Doctor's hand.

"Thanks Sam, take care of yourself." said Rose, hugging him.

"Good luck, mate." said Paul.

"Yeah, thanks." said John.

"Thanks, man." said George.

"See you around." said Ringo.

Sam took one last look at them all and then spoke, "I hope you can stop them, Doctor. For all our sakes. Good luck." He turned and walked swiftly out of sight.

"Will he be alright?" asked Rose.

"Yeah, he'll be fine." said the Doctor. "Anyway, it's probably better of we get off the streets, plus I've got something to tell you, in you go."

They settled down in the T.A.R.D.I.S and looked expectantly to the Doctor. "Right, when I was asking around, I found out that just before the explosion occurred, there was a small oil leak in the ship. Now it may not seem like much, but these creatures need the water for something. That's why they're putting the chemicals into it, so what happens when oil starts leaking into their water, contaminating it?"

"They get rid of the source." said Rose, comprehension dawning on her face. "They were just trying to stop the oil getting in the water."

"Exactly," said the Doctor. "Now, judging by what they aid in the chamber, they want the planet. But what for? To destroy it? No…" The Doctor stopped suddenly and slapped himself on the forehead." Ooh, I am thick. D'you remember what they said these are our waters. They're not poisoning the water; they're converting it, making it habitable for themselves. And what better place to do it than planet earth, 70% water, plenty of space for them."

"Are they going to poison all of the water?" asked Rose.

"They would have to; they would have to have a vast amount of chemicals somewhere. Ready to release into the water, but where?"

"The alien, it said we are the many, Doctor, how many of them are there?" asked Rose, worried."

"I don't know exactly, but it doesn't matter because they reproduce so rapidly, they can double they're numbers every day, once all of the water's converted, there'll be no stopping them."

"Wait! Do you know what they are?" asked Rose.

"Oh, yeah, haven't I told you."

"No!" they shouted in unison.

"Oh, right, sorry, they're called Netvors."

"Netvor?" asked John.

"Yep." said the Doctor.

"And where are these Netvors from?" asked Rose.

"They're from a planet called Accueil. About 200 years ago their planet died, I mean literally died. Food source died out, water dried up, and they need water to survive. So what do they do? I'll tell ya, they move on to a new planet. Only this one doesn't have enough water. After a while it dries up and then they move on to the next one. Leaving a barren, lifeless desert in their wake. They won't stop; they'll just keep moving from planet to planet till they find one capable of producing enough water to support life."

"Well, they're not having this one." said Rose fiercely.

"Yeah," said John "We'll help."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Right!" said the Doctor. "Alien invasion to stop, planet to save, what are we waiting for? Alons-Y"


	6. Goodbyes

**Author's Note **

The Doctor has a way of stopping the alien invasion, but will he make it in time to stop them and keep everyone safe.

**The Disclaimer: **I own nothing. All rights belong to Russell T. Davies and BBC. I make no money and intend no harm.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy it, any reviews or comments would be great.

* * *

><p>"Oi! Doctor." said Rose.<p>

The Doctor stopped with his hand on the door of the T.A.R.D.I.S, he turned to face her. "Problem?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah, there is a problem." she said furiously. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to the chamber." he replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, and what're you gonna do there?"

"Er…try to reason with them?" he said hopefully. He turned to George, "Nah, that's no good is it?"

"That's rubbish, mate." he said.

"Listen," said the Doctor. "I need to go back; I need to talk to them."

"But, why?" she asked desperately.

"I need to find out exactly what they're planning in order to stop them." he said vaguely. "Better?" he asked George.

"A bit." he replied.

"You're not telling me everything, now spill it. What's the real reason you're going back?"

The Doctor smiled at her a little apologetically, "I have to give them a choice." he said simply.

"Are you mental?" Paul asked appalled. "You'll get yourself killed."

"Maybe," he said. "That's why you lot have got to stay behind. I'm not having your blood on my hands."

"No way!" exclaimed Ringo angrily. "We've stuck with you this far. We're not abandoning you now."

"Fine, I don't have time to argue. You can wait outside, keep watch, ok?"

"I'm going with you." said Rose quietly.

The Doctor saw the look on her face and realized she would not be swayed. "Alright." he said. "But first, I have to find something. I think it's around here somewhere."

The Doctor dropped to his knees and pulled a section of grate up from the console floor, revealing the storage area beneath. He sifted through its contents impatiently, and after several minutes produced a small vial. "Ah Ha!" he exclaimed.

"What's that?" asked Rose.

"Turvallinen." said the Doctor. "Everybody ready? Alright, let's go."

They made their way to the docks for the last time. They met no one along the way and there were no guards outside the hatch this time. If the Doctor found the lack of security odd, he didn't say. He opened the hatch and looked at Rose. "If something happens, if I'm hurt and I tell you to leave me and get yourself out, you go. Got it?"

"But-"

"Have you got that?" he asked sternly.

"Yes." she answered stiffly.

"And you four," he said turning on the young men. "You've been a great help, it's been an honor meeting you. Now, if we don't come back within, say, twenty minutes, you run. No questions, no fuss, just go. And do not, under nay circumstances come down after us. Got it?"

They nodded solemnly. "Alright." said the Doctor to Rose. "We'd better go." Once more, he stepped onto the ladder and climbed down into the chamber. He stepped down with Rose right behind him, he put a finger to his lips and motioned for her to follow. They reached the center of the chamber and once more, the bodiless voice spoke to them.

"I knew you would be back." it said.

"I've come back to ask you, properly, to stop what you're doing."

"Oh Doctor, you know that will never happen. Now, don't be shy. You've come here to ask another question, haven't you?"

"What are you planning?" asked the Doctor. "You've only got this little bay, not a lot of room for breeding. So tell me, how do you plan on poisoning the waters of earth?"

"Silly Doctor hasn't figured it out yet. Well, let me enlighten you." As the voice stopped speaking the floor beneath the Doctor's feet began to move. He looked to Rose who looked just as confused as he felt. He looked down and realized that what they had been standing on was a massive circular panel that blended perfectly with the floor. It had just depressed a few inches and begun to slide open.

The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and led her off, they stood there as the panel opened fully to reveal an enormous vat, about 30 feet in diameter, seething and hissing with a poisonous looking liquid.

"Doctor, what is that?" asked Rose speaking at last.

"Chemicals." said the Doctor. "The same ones the Netvor need to survive the same ones they've been pouring into the bay for months. And by the looks of it they've got enough to contaminate every last drop of water on this planet."

"But how can it spread that far, it's all here." asked Rose.

"Pipelines, like the ones they use to carry oil. How far do they go?" he asked looking at the ceiling.

"All they way." said the voice gleefully. "Every single major body of water on the planet."

"But you couldn't have built all this alone; I mean you can't leave the water. So, whose been helping you, who could have built all this." he slapped himself on the forehead. "Of course!" he said. "O'Neil!"

"Very good, Doctor." came a voice from behind them. They turned and saw O'Neil advancing on them with a gun pointed directly at the Doctor.

"What have they offered you, eh? Cuz, whatever it is, it's not worth it."

"I will rule the humans of earth while my masters take control of the water." he replied smugly.

"Really? World domination? C'mon, and you believed them? You're stupider than I thought, you still don't get it." the Doctor told him.

"And what don't I get exactly?"

"Don't you smell that? The fumes from these chemicals react violently with sunlight. It's not so bad in the bay, there's not enough of the chemicals yet. The second this stuff's dispersed through the water, the reaction will create a toxic gas, killing every single living creature on this planet."

"Liar!" O'Neil screamed. "My masters would never do that, after all I've done for them."

"You have served us well." said the voice. "But, we only needed you to build the pipelines. You have served your purpose; we won't require your services any longer. Your life will be terminated."

"What! No! You can't do this to me!" O'Neil tried to run but it was too late. He hadn't realized that the vat was only half-open and that he was standing on the panel. He tried to jump off it, but it slid open too fast. He managed to grab hold of the edge of the vat; he hung there for a moment, a look of abject terror on his face before he plummeted, shrieking into the seething pit.

Rose turned her head away as O'Neil hit the surface. He bobbed for a second before slipping under. "This is your last warning, really I mean it." said the Doctor dangerously.

"No Doctor, I want you to watch as this world chokes."

"Then I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but you've left me no choice." The Doctor pulled the small vial of Turvallinen out of his pocket and uncorked it.

"And what is that supposed to be?" asked the Netvor.

"Turvallinen." said the doctor coldly.

"No!" screamed the Netvor. "You wouldn't, Don't!"

"I'm sorry." the Doctor said again. "But, I warned you." He tipped the vial and emptied its contents into the churning pit below. The liquid immediately began emitting copious amounts of smoke and a deafening scream of pain and rage filled the air. The Doctor grabbed Rose's arm and pilled her back to the ladder. They emerged, coughing to find four anxious faces looming over them.

"I thought I told you to leave." said the Doctor smiling.

"Of course we weren't gonna go. We were waiting to see if everything went alright." said John.

"Yeah, another few minutes and we were gonna go in after you." added Paul.

"Of course you were." said the Doctor. "Well, that won't be necessary. It's over now."

"You mean you stopped them?" asked George.

"Well, he said he would, didn't he?" said Rose.

"We'd better get back to the T.A.R.D.I.S in case O'Neil's goons turn up."

The trip back was subdued and when the Doctor reached the T.A.R.D.I.S, he turned to face the boys.

"Does this mean you'll be off now?" asked Ringo.

"Yup, we don't stick around for cleanups, do we?" said the Doctor, looking at Rose.

"Nope." she said, grinning.

"It has been a real pleasure meeting you all, really it has. I couldn't have done it without you." said the Doctor shaking their hands in turn.

"Yeah, thanks you lot." said Rose, hugging them all.

They said their goodbyes and the doctor unlocked the T.A.R.D.I.S and stood aside to let Rose in. The Doctor stopped with one foot on the threshold and turned back."

"Do me a favor, will you?" he asked.

"What?" they asked.

"Try to stay out of trouble."

"We will." said George, Paul and Ringo in unison.

The Doctor looked to John. "Well, I won't," he said. "You know I won't"

The Doctor stepped into the T.A.R.D.I.S laughing. Before he shut the door, he poked his head out still grinning. "Hold on." he said. "You're gonna like this bit."

He disappeared into the T.A.R.D.I.S and seconds later, it began to vanish, making that strange sound gain. The four young men watched with some sadness as the blue box disappeared. When it was gone, they silently turned and walked away without looking back.

FIN


End file.
